Forget what you think you know about the Robot's collar!
Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:22 pm
I m pretty sure that this information is going to be met with some
resistance. For decades it has been accepted that the Robot s collar had
108 ribs. I don t know what the original source of that information is, but
it s not true.
After spending a lot of time researching the robot s collar, I have
discovered that there were 96 ribs.
When I was doing research for the Moebius Robot kit, I knew there were less
than 100. The best information I had at the time indicated 98 ribs, which
is what the kit should have (I haven t counted!)
A couple of weeks ago at Chiller I had a conversation with Craig Reinbrecht
and found that the current club info still had the collar at 108 ribs. I
think he ll tell you that I blew his mind when I told him that I was sure
that there 98 ribs on the collar and I had proof. Little did I know that I
was soon to revise that number further.
Craig told me that there was a new spec being worked on for the v2 collar to
go with the v2 torso and that if the collar was not 108 ribs, now would be a
really good time to update the specs.
I collected together the absolute best evidence that I had available and
started scrutinizing. It took about a week, but I was able to conclusively
prove that the primary Robot suit had 96 ribs on the collar, at least for
seasons one and two.
There is other evidence suggesting that the stunt robot collar had 97 ribs
and that the primary may have also had 97 ribs in the end. This evidence is
not clear cut though. It s not known if the hero and stunt collars were
switched during or after the show, or whether there was significant damage
to either collar and/or whether repair added an extra rib. It s also
possible that one or both collars were replicated and replaced sometime
after the show wrapped while the suits were out of the hands of the studio.
But none of that matters. Again, I can tell you for sure that the primary
collar had 96 ribs during filming. Incidentally, this is also what is
indicated on the studio blueprints.
There is some debate about what size acrylic material was used in the collar
construction. The blueprints call for 1/4" square rod, however, this is not
what I m seeing in clear publicity photos. It could be 5/16 square rod, or
it could be 1/4 acrylic sheet cut into strips with widths somewhere between
1/4 and 5/16 and then formed. I m still searching for conclusive proof of
the collar material.
So that s the latest info... Go forth and create 96 rib collars!
I don t have anything prepared to publish, but may in the near future. If
anyone would like to debate, please feel free to post your position and
anything you believe supports other than 96 ribs. The only evidence that
should be presented are screen caps or vintage photos from the 1960s of the
primary suit.
Chris
resistance. For decades it has been accepted that the Robot s collar had
108 ribs. I don t know what the original source of that information is, but
it s not true.
After spending a lot of time researching the robot s collar, I have
discovered that there were 96 ribs.
When I was doing research for the Moebius Robot kit, I knew there were less
than 100. The best information I had at the time indicated 98 ribs, which
is what the kit should have (I haven t counted!)
A couple of weeks ago at Chiller I had a conversation with Craig Reinbrecht
and found that the current club info still had the collar at 108 ribs. I
think he ll tell you that I blew his mind when I told him that I was sure
that there 98 ribs on the collar and I had proof. Little did I know that I
was soon to revise that number further.
Craig told me that there was a new spec being worked on for the v2 collar to
go with the v2 torso and that if the collar was not 108 ribs, now would be a
really good time to update the specs.
I collected together the absolute best evidence that I had available and
started scrutinizing. It took about a week, but I was able to conclusively
prove that the primary Robot suit had 96 ribs on the collar, at least for
seasons one and two.
There is other evidence suggesting that the stunt robot collar had 97 ribs
and that the primary may have also had 97 ribs in the end. This evidence is
not clear cut though. It s not known if the hero and stunt collars were
switched during or after the show, or whether there was significant damage
to either collar and/or whether repair added an extra rib. It s also
possible that one or both collars were replicated and replaced sometime
after the show wrapped while the suits were out of the hands of the studio.
But none of that matters. Again, I can tell you for sure that the primary
collar had 96 ribs during filming. Incidentally, this is also what is
indicated on the studio blueprints.
There is some debate about what size acrylic material was used in the collar
construction. The blueprints call for 1/4" square rod, however, this is not
what I m seeing in clear publicity photos. It could be 5/16 square rod, or
it could be 1/4 acrylic sheet cut into strips with widths somewhere between
1/4 and 5/16 and then formed. I m still searching for conclusive proof of
the collar material.
So that s the latest info... Go forth and create 96 rib collars!
I don t have anything prepared to publish, but may in the near future. If
anyone would like to debate, please feel free to post your position and
anything you believe supports other than 96 ribs. The only evidence that
should be presented are screen caps or vintage photos from the 1960s of the
primary suit.
Chris